By Cr Jared Cassidy, Leader of the Council Opposition
The debate around the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games must be focused on everyday Queenslanders.
While we have to invest in time for the Games, we must think beyond the event itself.
Brisbane has some unique sporting facilities, almost enough to host the world’s largest event on it’s own according to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC told political leaders as far back as 2021 the stadiums we have can host the Olympics with or without permanent upgrades. These stadiums are owned by us, the people of Queensland.
So why are we continuing to focus so much on building something new? That was not supposed to be the legacy of the 2032 Games. As recently as November last year, Premier David Crisafulli said a review into Olympic infrastructure would specifically not include “building a new stadium”, such as at Victoria Park. He declared that what Brisbane really needs is generational infrastructure. I agree. We’ll find out if the David Crisafulli of 2025 has the same conviction when the review is handed down.
Back in 2018, the IOC made reforms called the ‘New Norm’ to minimise post-Games white elephants by encouraging hosts to use existing stadium infrastructure where possible.
The Games are not intended to be a catalyst for new flashy stadiums, rather an opportunity to create generational improvements to a city. The ‘New Norm’ is about greater flexibility in delivering the Games. These reforms suited Brisbane perfectly when developing a bid, with leaders across the region hoping to secure the Games to meet long-term development goals which catered to population growth projections.
The Council of Mayors South East Queensland (COMSEQ) released a feasibility study back in 2019 stating the Games could modernise the entire south-east transport network. That was to be the legacy of the Games – transport connections to places like the Sunshine Coast and suburban areas of Brisbane. That concept appears now to have been lost.
Our region’s Mayors claimed a bid for the Olympics would bring forward untold millions, possibly billions of dollars to update the region’s transport system and infrastructure a decade or two ahead of schedule.
In the next twenty years, Brisbane’s population is projected to increase by almost half a million people. A new shiny stadium is not the most effective way to future proof that growth, particularly at a time when so many people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads or food on the table.
Los Angeles, the home of the 2028 Games, is set to be based around the LA Memorial Coliseum. That historic stadium has been renovated and upgraded multiple times since it’s opening in 1923. They have had more than a century to improve and build on public and active transport infrastructure around the site because it’s so entrenched in the city.
In Brisbane, the Gabba poses that opportunity. It’s smack bang in the middle of a Priority Development Area and has existing infrastructure and transport links to expand on. The Cross River Rail project will see a station directly at the Gabba, providing seamless connectivity. We could see an additional Gabba Metro bus station built in time too.
The obsession with a brand new stadium at Victoria Park, coming in at more than $3.4 billion before you even include public transport and walking infrastructure upgrades, is the last thing we need when Governments are talking about cutting services because of tight budgets.
It’s already been made clear that private investment would be required to turn Victoria Park into an appropriate site. It would see the entirety of Victoria Park, one of Brisbane’s most significant public parks, handed over to developers.
Brisbane’s Olympics are starting to reek of big-time developers and cashed up sports teams calling the shots, while the rest of us get left behind.
It’s time to revisit the first principles that dictated why Brisbane bid for the games in the first place. Initially, the very clear goal was putting a deadline on building the roads, bridges and rail needed to support the region into the future.
If it were up to me, I’d rather see the lion’s share of the billions of dollars being thrown around at stadium talk spent on busways and rail lines and investing in community sports.
The Gabba is not a perfect stadium, but it does a perfectly good job for Brisbane. It can be upgraded, modernised and suit the needs of our city for years to come. The argument that we need to spend billions on a stadium for an opening ceremony that almost no one in Brisbane will get the privilege to attend, is a weak one at best.
The Games bid was never focused on one single stadium. It promised to be a catalyst for generational investment to protect the unique lifestyle we so enjoy in Brisbane and South East Queensland.
Whatever choice the Premier makes, let’s hope it’s the right one for the growing future of Brisbane.
